Fane's mum was far too busy to accompany him shopping on that day, so he was heading out alone. Though the area wasn't completely unfamiliar to him, he was still a bit nervous. If he got stuck or just needed help, he was told to seek out the help of his cousin, Osmund, whom he had only met before at family parties when he was younger. The Hollows stopped going to those events when they got a divorce, which left Fane's ideas of Osmuns faint and pretty inaccurate.

He had asked if Osmund would meet him there and reviving no formal reply, he assumed that he would indeed. However, once there, Fane was unable to pick out his cousin in the crowd. He sighed to himself. "Useless relative." How could he rely on someone who wouldn't even show? Fane wasn't even sure how to get out of the bloody establishment.

He walked up behind someone and tapped them on their shoulder. "Excuse me, but could you please show me the door out of here?" He asked.

Caleb didn't want to be found was Fiona's conclusion after a failed search for her cousin. It wasn't that much of a shame since it did mean she could do whatever she wanted. On the other hand he would most likely have some sweets she could have swiped. Her gum having lost it's flavour ages ago and now had been stuck on some convenient wall in Amethyst Alley.

She swung the bag of school uniforms she'd bought with her mother's money as she looked around the pub once more for her cousin. Well then. Maybe it was time to find her mother again. That way Fiona could dump her bag of shopping on her and go out for the next item on the list.

A tap to her shoulder just as she was about to move caused Fiona to give a small yelp and swing around with the bag. "The door? Well there's that door which brings you back out onto the street where the muggles live or there's that door down around that turn which leads out to Amethyst Alley. Which one did you want?"

Fane didn't understand why she didn't just tell him where both doors were, instead of asking him which one he wanted to know. He rolled his eyes slightly before replying with, "The one that leads out to Amethyst Alley, if you please" or even if she didn't please.

Honestly, did it look like he was ready to go home yet? He hadn't purchased a single thing and still didn't know where his good for nothing cousin was.

"And by any chance have you seen a tall, shady boy with long hair?" That's the only description he knew of his cousin that clearly wasn't kind enough to help a poor lost eleven year old kid like him to find his way.

"Well then just turn..." She stopped abruptly. "I already told you where it was didn't I? Well then I guess you don't need to be shown twice. Just be careful if you get a little too close to that fat old wizard there. He wheezes. Might even have dragon pox of splattergoit." She nodded knowingly.

Her brow furrowed as she went over in her mind all the people she'd seen in and around the ally before shaking her head. "No. No-one who looks like that. Is he your brother or something? I'm having trouble finding my cousin myself. He's a bit um plain like me and talks a lot. I don't suppose you would be able to pick him out from a bunch of people unless he's eating and talking."

Fane looked around him, turning around like the girl told him to, but the door seemed to be concealed behind the crowd of people. He frowned. The door seemed just as lost in the crowd like his cousin was, that was, if his cousin was even in there.

"He's my cousin," He answered, sounding a bit annoyed. He didn't ask for much in life. "What's up with cousins and not being around? Mine was supposed to show me where to go. I'm kinda alone without him," He explained and folded his arms across his chest. "How 'bout you? What kind of trouble did your cousin leave you in?" Fane looked around again, just to make sure the tall-dark haired head of his cousin wasn't bobbing among the sea of other faces. "I'm starting to think he isn't even here right now."

Fiona shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me. I think they just don't want their younger cousins around them. Afraid we'll embarrass them or something." Which in Caleb's case was really silly. He was always doing lots of things which would embarrass people like the way he talked and couldn't keep still.

"My cousin didn't leave me in any trouble at all," she replied with a puzzled look. "I just want to ask him something. Why? Has your cousin left you with some trouble of some sort?" She looked around the crowded room again and glimpsed her perfectly groomed mother but no sign of either her cousin or the cousin of this boy. "What's your cousin's name?"

Fane scoffed at the notion that his older cousin didn't want to be around him. That was most likely true, given the fact that the pair of relatives hardly knew each other and had quite a few years age difference between them. Fane doubted they'd have much in common besides sharing the same grandparents. "Well, it's their loss, I guess," Fane remarked, trying to act like he really didn't care and he wouldn't, if he wasn't counting on Osmund to show him around.

"Yeah, well you see I'm basically on my own without him, which is no big deal, but I suppose my parents might be a bit angry if they found out I was all alone," Fane partially lied, trying to act cool and smoothing out his hair. "They worry a lot, I guess." But not nearly enough to actually take him on the shopping trip. Go figure! "The kid's name is Osmund Hollow," He replied. "What's your cousin's name? If I find him I'll let him know you are looking for him."

"That's the ticket," Fiona replied cheerfully. "It's completely their loss." Deep down though she really was afraid Caleb wouldn't want her to be around him at all once they were at school. What if his excitement about her attending as well was all an act? That would devastate her.

She nodded. "Yes they would. My parents would never let me come here on my own. It's a big thing that mum even let me go do my own shopping without her looking over my shoulder." Fiona did suspect though it had something to do with the other witch she'd gossiped with earlier in the Alley. "Osmund Hollow. Okay. If I see him I'll tell him you're looking for him. My cousin's name is Caleb Miller and thanks."